Itz’at STEAM Academy is Officially Launched

This morning here in Belize City, government officials, including Prime Minister John Briceño and Education Minister Francis Fonseca, were on hand for the official opening of Itz’at STEAM Academy.  The secondary school opened its doors to the first cohort of students at the start of the academic calendar in September of last year.  News Five was there for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Here’s that story.

 

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

STEAM education is a holistic and interdisciplinary approach to learning that is crucial for high school students.  At Itz’at STEAM Academy, young people are prepared with knowledge, skills, and integrated experiences in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics to build a sustainable future for themselves and their communities.  STEAM education encourages students to think creatively and apply their knowledge in innovative ways.

 

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Education

“It’s an absolutely exciting day for education in our country, you know, we’ve talked for a long time about STEAM education and the importance of investing in STEAM education for the future development of Belize and that’s what Itz’at STEAM Academy high school is all about.  It’s about providing a space in our education structure and education system for young people to develop the skills and aptitudes that they need to participate in the future of Belize’s development.”

 

With rapid technological advancements, STEAM programs such as the one offered at Itz’at, help prepare students for future careers that require a blend of technical skills and creative thinking.  It also emphasizes teamwork and collaboration, skills that are highly valued in the modern workforce.

 

John Newport, Principal, Itz’at STEAM Academy

“At Itz’at STEAM Academy, our ambition is to create a diverse and inclusive school community that inspires young people, including girls, those from marginalized, social, economic and cultural groups, those with special needs to advance their knowledge and understanding of the world and to engage in concrete actions that lead to the improvement not only of their lives, but the lives of those around them.”

 

Construction for the new secondary institution began in September 2022 and was completed last year.  The facility, with its two buildings, covers a total of thirty-five thousand square feet.  STEAM education allows for personalized learning experiences, catering to diverse interests and strengths of students.

 

Francis Fonseca

“We talk all the time about the green economy, the blue economy, and the orange economy.  Well we can’t just talk about it, we have to prepare our people to participate in that new economy, new emerging economy.  And so, education has to lead the way and we have to be at the cutting edge of technology and science, and art.  So I am very, very proud of the fact that, you know, over the past three years we have spent a lot of time and effort focused on this project.”

 

Itz’at is the first school in the country designed in conformity with Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiency or EDGE standards for resource efficiency.  It has a bioengineering lab, art room, media lab, maker studio, silent rooms and typical collaborative learning rooms.

 

John Newport

“Our campus is not just this, our campus is the wider community and our students are engaging in it.  And so, at the end of this ceremony you will get a chance to see some of these students in action.  And again, remember they are first formers, as you see them engage in transformative mathematics that lead to qualitative reasoning, as you see the robotics group.  And I’d like to say, a school does not turn students into robots, a school is where students make robots out of Lego and machines and wires and they show that we in Belize can really do some cutting-edge, technological, transformative action.”

 

Isani Cayetano for News Five.